Hard floors can be cleaned using various products, a popular one being a broom due to its simple design and low cost. A dustpan is typically used in conjunction with a broom, whereby a user collects the debris with the broom, and then sweeps the unwanted debris into the dustpan for disposal. However, using a broom and dustpan together can be cumbersome, requiring the user to hold the broom in one hand, the dustpan in the other, and attempting to balance and control the two devices while sweeping debris into the dustpan. Furthermore, the dustpan is often misplaced or lost so that the user has no means to collect the swept debris.
Numerous prior art patents show broom and dustpan combinations that attempt to solve these shortcomings. One solution to the problem of lost dustpans is to provide an attachment means to connect the broom and dustpan so that they are stored together. U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,893,426; 5,379,481 and 6,643,891 are examples of such devices. However, these devices require the user to hold a broom in one hand, a dustpan in the other and awkwardly sweeping debris into the dustpan.
Other patents which show a single device combining a broom and vacuum so that a user can sweep the unwanted debris and then vacuum the debris into a built-in dustpan or collection bin. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,722,112; 5,850,669 and 6,029,311 are examples of such devices. Although these devices do away with the need to have a separate dustpan, they require a strong motor and fan to produce the required suction force to effectively suck the debris. The typically increases the size and cost of the device.
Therefore, there is still a need for a simple, low-cost broom and dustpan device that allows a user to sweep and then collect debris using a single device.